Only 10% to 20% of the prospects you present to will sign on the spot with no objections. The rest will stall with some version of "let me think it over." Most of what decides which group you are dealing with happens before your MSP sales presentation even starts. Confirm the time and that every decision-maker will be there, sort out the room and the technology, bring a printed backup, open with an agenda to get your first yes, have a quote they can initial rather than a 20-page agreement, and be ready for the two objections you will actually get.
Let me set the stage.
We're at the PRESCRIBE and CLOSE meeting. This is where you are sitting down with the prospect to go over your recommendations, present your solution and CLOSE THE DEAL, meaning ask for the order.
There are seven parts to the closing presentation for a managed services deal to a new prospective client:
- Set Up The Meeting For Success (Pre-Meeting Prep)
- Set The Agenda
- Initiate The Pain Train
- Why Us?
- Sell The Solution
- The Money Talk
- Ask For The Order
This is about the first two, and they matter more than they sound. One critical aspect of setting up the meeting for success is conducting a proper diagnostic discovery meeting so you KNOW the buying criteria and hot buttons of your prospect.
Your presentation needs to address THEIR buying criteria and hot buttons, so keep that in mind as your primary goal as you build any closing presentation. You also need to prepare for anything that will get in the way of walking out the door with a signed deal.
Here is the checklist.
1. Confirm The Meeting 24 To 48 Hours In Advance
Confirm the meeting start time, duration and location.
If you need an hour to present and close, make sure they can all commit to an hour. If not, reschedule. Otherwise, you'll be rushed or surprised when they suddenly and abruptly end the meeting without you getting time to properly present.
2. Make Sure Every Decision-Maker Will Be In The Room
When confirming, also ensure that all decision-makers and stakeholders will be in the meeting.
If a key decision-maker cannot make the presentation, then reschedule it.
You're setting yourself up for the "we need to run this by _______" objection. The bigger problem is that THEY want to present to him or her, INSTEAD OF YOU. That means they're going to screw it up and you could lose the opportunity.
Think about what you are agreeing to when you present without the decision-maker present. You are handing your entire pitch to an amateur and asking them to deliver it for you, from memory, to the one person who can say yes.
3. Confirm You Have Somewhere Acceptable To Present
A conference room where everyone can sit comfortably, for example, or YOUR office if appropriate.
4. Show Up Early And Troubleshoot The Technology
If you're using a slide deck to present in THEIR conference room with THEIR monitor, show up at least 15 minutes early to set up and troubleshoot inevitable problems.
Make sure you have a backup plan in the event that their monitor doesn't work, as well as your own Wi-Fi.
5. Print The Deck As A Backup, With The Price On A Separate Page
If you ARE planning on using a slide presentation, print out the slide deck in the event that nothing works and you need to walk them through the presentation on paper.
Keep the price on a separate document.
Slides Or Paper?
Some of you may not be using a slide deck and will only have a printed document. There are pros and cons to each.
A pro for delivering it via a slide presentation is that you get to control their focus. If you hand them a document, they'll flip around through it and you could lose them.
Alternatively, a slide deck requires an appropriate space to present, which can prove to be a challenge if you're presenting your proposals anywhere other than YOUR office and YOUR conference room.
Ultimately, you need to pick the one you find most appropriate, adjusting as best you can with the limitations of paper or electronic presentations.
6. Open The Meeting With An Agenda
When you open the meeting, present an AGENDA for the meeting.
There are a few reasons to do this. First, it signals to your prospect that you're in control of the meeting. Second, people like to know what's about to happen, so by laying out a quick agenda and getting their agreement, you're getting the first "yes" in your sale and alleviating any questions or anxiety they have about what's about to happen, how long it will take and what's being covered.
The agenda should take only a couple of minutes to go over and get agreement on.
Example agenda:
- Review the problems and challenges you shared with us.
- Reveal our report of findings to show you what we discovered.
- Recommend a path forward to solving your problems.
- Discuss our services and the budget we're proposing.
- Work through any questions or concerns you have.
- If appropriate, okay the paperwork and select an onboarding date.
Notice that the last line does real work. You have told them, in the first two minutes and with their agreement, that this meeting ends in a decision. Nobody is surprised when you ask for the order at the end, because you said you would.
7. Bring A Quote They Can Initial, Not A 20-Page Agreement
Have a quote they can initial to CLOSE THE SALE, and PRACTICE asking for the order.
I don't recommend handing them a 20-page master service agreement, or MSA, with a statement of work, or SOW, at this meeting. It's too much and will put the brakes on FAST so they can review before signing.
Instead, you can get them to initial your quote and then send the MSA for them to review and sign later.
Another option is to get them to sign the MSA in the discovery meeting with the assessment written up as an SOW document, zero fees. That way you already have the MSA in place, and, in the closing meeting, you only need them to approve the SOW.
This approach will require a more confident and sophisticated salesperson to navigate in the discovery meeting, but it can be done.
8. Be Ready For The Two Objections You Will Actually Get
This is a biggie that almost nobody does, which is why their close rate is so low.
In general, only about 10% to 20% of the sales you get in front of will sign on the spot, no objections.
The rest will inevitably hit you with a form of "think it over" objection. They'll say, "This sounds great. Let me take a couple of days to review this and get back to you." Or "I need to talk to ___________ before signing." Or "I need to wait until ________ before deciding."
ALL of these are simply stalls and delays. Very few people will flat out say NO, so you need to have a means for overcoming the above objections.
The other objection you'll run into is a price objection, and you need to make sure you can handle that as well.
If you're following my methodology, price should NOT come up as often in the closing meeting because up front in the discovery meeting AND in your Shock-And-Awe documentation you've already floated price and addressed the fact that you're not the cheapest.
The Bottom Line
Eight items, and seven of them happen before anyone sits down.
That is the point. By the time you are in the room presenting, most of what determines whether you walk out with a signed deal has already been decided: whether the right people are there, whether you have enough time, whether the technology works, whether they know what is coming, and whether you are ready for the stall.
Get those right and the meeting is yours to lose.
If you want your team trained on the full closing meeting, step by step, that is exactly what my MSP sales training is built for.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should you do before an MSP sales presentation?
Confirm the time, duration and location 24 to 48 hours in advance, and make sure every decision-maker will attend. Confirm you have somewhere suitable to present. If you are using a slide deck in their conference room, arrive 15 minutes early to troubleshoot, bring your own Wi-Fi as a backup, and print the deck in case the technology fails. Bring a quote they can initial, and be ready for objections.
Why does everyone need to be in the closing meeting?
Because presenting without a decision-maker sets you up for the "we need to run this by someone" objection, and the bigger problem is that they will want to present your proposal to that person instead of you. They will do it badly, and you can lose the deal. If a key decision-maker cannot attend, reschedule.
Should I present an MSP proposal as slides or a printed document?
Both work, with trade-offs. Slides let you control their focus. Hand someone a printed document and they will flip through it and you can lose them. But slides require an appropriate space, which is harder to guarantee anywhere other than your own conference room. Whichever you choose, print a backup with the price on a separate page.
Why should I start a sales meeting with an agenda?
Three reasons. It signals that you are in control of the meeting. It tells the prospect what to expect, which removes anxiety about how long this will take and what is coming. And getting them to agree to it gives you the first "yes" of the sale. It only takes a couple of minutes.
Should I bring the MSA to the closing meeting?
No. Handing someone a 20-page master service agreement with a statement of work at the closing meeting is too much, and it will put the brakes on fast because they will want to review it before signing. Get them to initial the quote instead, then send the MSA afterwards. Alternatively, have the MSA signed during the discovery meeting with the assessment as a zero-fee SOW, so the closing meeting only needs SOW approval.
What percentage of prospects sign on the spot?
Only about 10% to 20% of the prospects you present to will sign immediately with no objections. Everyone else will stall with some version of "let me think it over," "I need to talk to someone first," or "I need to wait until X." Very few people will flatly say no. Planning for that is the difference between a good close rate and a poor one.
How do I stop price from coming up in the closing meeting?
Address it earlier. If you have floated price in the discovery meeting and in the credibility materials you send in advance, and you have already acknowledged that you are not the cheapest option, price becomes far less likely to surface as an objection at the close. Price resistance at the end is usually a symptom of avoiding the subject at the beginning.